Hiram codd



UNITED STATES PATENT Ormea..

HlItAM OODD, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

REGlSTERlNG-STAMP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 265,245, dated October3, '1882,

Application liled November 29, 1881. (No model.) Iatented in EnglandMarch 16, 1F81.No.1,153, and in France September 1t', 1881, No. 144,866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HTRAM GoDD, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain,residing at No. 58 King William Street, in the city of London, England,have invented certain new and useful improvements in apparatus forstamping letters and other documents with stamps representing differentvalues, (for which I have received Letters Patentin England, No. 1,153,dated March 16, 1881, and in France, dated September 1G, 1881, No.144,866 of which the following is a specification.

The object of the invention is to provide apparatus by which letters orother documents may be stamped with any 011e or other of a number ofstamps representing different money values, and by which each time thatany one or other ofthe stamps is used the money value of that stamp mayhe recorded upon one recording apparatus that is common to all thestamps. For this purpose I connect each of the stamps with a lever orinstrument in such a manner that when one ofthe stamps is caused to beimpressed on any letter or document it shall give suoient movement tothe lever or instrument to enableit to move the unit pointer or wheel ofa recording apparatus one distance or unit, denoting, say, a value ofone half-penny, and if another one of the stamps is caused to beimpressed it shall give a greater movement to the lever or instrumentand record a value, say, of a penny, and so on for any number of stampsused in the apparatus.

In the drawings hereunto annexed I have shown two ways of arrangingapparatus to act in the above manner.

Figure l is an end elevation, and Fig. 2 a horizontal section on asmaller scale, of one arrangement of apparatus.

In these figures, A A A2 A3 are four stamps, each denoting a differentvalue. A.l.`hestamp A may, for example, be a halt'- penny stamp, A', apenny-stamp, A2, a penny and a halt'- penny stamp; A3, a two-pennystamp.

Any suitable arrangement may be adopted for depressing the stamps. Inthe arrangenient shown the stern of each stamp is slotted at itupperend, and a lever, B, is passed through the slot, and by this leverthe stamp can be forced downward; or the upper end of the stem of eachstamp might simply be furnished with a diskshaped head; or, it' a morepowerful pressure is required, more powerful leverdepressingarrangements than the one shown might be employed for the purpose. Thestem ot' each stamp passes up through guides in a hollow arm, O,extending from the top of a casing, (l. Inside the arni each stein has apin projecting from it to come above the end of a lever, D, the oppositeend ot which can turn freely around an axis or turning shaft, E, whichis mounted at an angle to a row of stamps, A, as shown at Fig. 2, sothat the arms D are of different lengths, as shown. Fixed on this axisare short arms E', with their ends bent to come below the lever-arms D,so that it any one or other of the lever-arms D is depressed the axisshall be caused to turn. On the axis is txed an arm, E2. This arm, by alink, F, is coupled to an arm, G, on an axis, II, concentric with butcapable of turning freely inde pendently ot' a ratchetwheel. The axis otthis ratchet-wheel carries a pointer in front of a circular dial, I. Onone end of the axis H is an arm carrying a pawl which engages with theteeth of the ratchet-wheel. On the other end ofthe axis is an armattached to a spring, M, by which it is drawn up to a fixed stop. Theratchet-wheel has twenty -four teeth. If the stamp A is pressed down,the ratchet-wheel is turned one tooth; if the stamp A is turned, twoteeth; if A2, three teeth; and if A3, four teeth. The dial I is dividedinto twenty-four divisions, each representingahalf-penny. The dial J isdivided into twenty divisions, each representing a shilling, the dial Kinto ten divisions, each representing one pound, and the dial L into tendivisions, each representing ten pounds. The axes of the pointers of theseveral dials are so geared together that the pointer of dial J makesone-twentieth of a revolution foreach revolution of the pointer oi" dialI. The pointer ofthe dial K makes one-tenth of a revolution for eachrevolution of the pointer of dial J, and the pointer of the dial L makesone-tenth of a revolution for each revolution of the pointer ot' K.

Figs. 8 and Ll show-similar views of a modicat-ion of the aboveapparatus. In this modilieation the axis or turning shaft E is parallelICO with the row of stamps; and the levers D, in place ot' being mountedon the axis E, are npon separate axes, and these axes are at differentdistances from the axis E, as shown. The levers D are coupled by linksto arms that can turn on the axis E, and these arms, acting againstfixed short arms E', serve to turn the axis E whenever any one or otherof the stamps is depressed. In other respects the apparatus is the sameas described with reference'to Figs. l and 2.

Having thus described the nature of my invention,and the mannerofoperating the same, 1 would have it understood that I claim- 1. Thecombination,substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the casingprovided with an overhanging arm, the series of stamps guided so as tobe capable of independent reciprocation in said arm, the register commonto all `the stamps, and the intermediate operating connections,substantiallyr as described, between said stamps and said register.

2. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, ofthe casing, a stamp tted to reciprocate in said casing, a rocking lever connectedat one end with said stamp and at the other with a turning shaft, so asto rock said shaft when the stamp is operated, a registhe operation ofeach stamp, and the link-con- London, 19th october, 1381;

4o nection between said turning shaft and the pawl-carrier, whichactnates the ratchet-Wheel of the register, whereby the rocking of saidaxis or shaft through the operation of one ot' said stamps causes thegiven yvalue of said 45 stamp to be recorded by the register, saidcombination being and acting substantially as described.

HIRAM CODD.

Witnesses:

PERCY E. CHEFFrNs,

58 King Wm. St., London. J. WATT,

17 Graccchurch Street, London.

